A device for retrieving a control pod from a subsea bop stack or deploying a control pod to a subsea bop stack includes a base having a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end axially opposite the first end. The base includes a plurality of axially adjacent bays positioned side-by-side between the first end and the second end. Each bay is sized to hold one control pod. In addition, the device includes a trolley moveably coupled to the base. The trolley includes a first stall and a second stall axially adjacent the first stall. Each stall is configured to hold one control pod. Further, the device includes a housing fixably coupled to the base. Still further, the device includes a control pod actuation assembly coupled to the housing. The control pod actuation assembly is configured to move the trolley axially relative to the base and the housing to align each stall of the trolley with at least one bay of the base. The control pod actuation assembly includes a linear actuator configured to extend and retract through one bay of the base.
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1. A device for retrieving a control pod from a subsea bop stack or deploying a control pod to a subsea bop stack, the device comprising:
a base having a horizontally oriented longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end axially opposite the first end, wherein the base includes a plurality of laterally adjacent bays positioned horizontally side-by-side between the first end and the second end, wherein each bay is sized to hold one control pod;
a trolley moveably is disposed within the base, wherein the trolley includes a first stall and a second stall laterally adjacent the first stall, wherein each stall is configured to hold one control pod;
a housing fixably coupled to the base;
a control pod actuation assembly coupled to the housing, wherein the control pod actuation assembly is configured to move the trolley horizontally within the base relative to the base and the housing to align each stall of the trolley with at least one bay of the base, and wherein the control pod actuation assembly includes a linear actuator configured to extend and retract through one bay of the base.
8. A method for replacing a first control pod of a bop stack with a second control pod, the method comprising:
(a) loading the second control pod onto a base of a control pod exchange device, wherein the control pod exchange device includes the base, a housing fixably coupled to the base, a trolley moveably disposed within the base, and a connector assembly releasably connected to the housing, wherein the base includes a first bay and a second bay laterally adjacent the first bay, wherein each bay is sized to hold the first control pod or the second control pod, wherein the trolley includes a first stall and a second stall laterally adjacent the first stall, wherein each stall is configured to hold one control pod;
(b) lowering the control pod exchange device subsea after (a) with the second control pod in the first bay of the base and the first stall of the trolley;
(c) coupling a bop stack interface member to the bop stack after (b), wherein a flexible cable has a first end coupled to the housing and a second end coupled to the bop stack interface member;
(d) disconnecting the connector assembly from the housing after (c);
(e) lowering the base, the trolley, and the housing relative to the connector assembly and to the bop stack after (d);
(f) coupling the base and the housing to the bop stack;
(g) simultaneously transferring the first control pod from the bop stack horizontally into the second bay of the base and the second stall of the trope with the second control pod in the first bay of the base and the first stall of the trolley after (f); and
(h) moving the first control pod and the second control pod horizontally within the base with the trolley after (g).
2. The device of
3. The device of
a winch rotatably coupled to the housing; and
a first flexible cable and a second flexible cable;
wherein the connector assembly includes a body, a first sheave rotatably coupled to the body, and a second sheave rotatably coupled to the body;
wherein the first flexible cable extends from the winch over the first sheave of the connector assembly, and wherein the second flexible cable extends from the winch over the second sheave of the connector assembly;
wherein the winch is configured to pay in and pay out the first flexible cable and the second flexible cable.
4. The device of
a first tubular guide coupled to the housing and a second tubular guide coupled to the housing;
a first spear configured to be slidingly received by the first tubular guide; and
a second spear configured to be slidingly received by the second tubular guide.
5. The device of
wherein the second flexible cable has a first end coupled to the winch and a second end coupled to the second spear.
6. The device of
wherein the control pod actuation assembly is configured to move the trolley from a first position with the first stall aligned with the second bay and a second position with the second stall aligned with the second bay.
7. The device of
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. The method of
applying a lifting force to the pipe string and the flexible cable after (c) and before (d);
wherein (d) comprises:
(d1) increasing the lifting force applied to the pipe string with the derrick to pull the housing to the connector assembly;
(d2) decreasing the lifting force applied to the pipe string with the derrick after (d1) to lower the housing relative to the connector assembly.
12. The method of
13. The method of
14. The method of
applying a tension to the rope and the flexible cable with the lifting device after (c) and before (d);
wherein (d) comprises:
(d1) increasing the tension in the rope with the lifting device to pull the housing to the connector assembly;
(d2) decreasing the tension in the rope with the lifting device after (d1) to lower the housing relative to the connector assembly.
15. The method of
16. The method of
aligning the base and the housing of the control pod exchange device to a predetermined orientation relative to the bop stack by slidingly receiving the bop stack interface member into a tubular guide coupled to the housing.
17. The method of
(i) moving the first control pod from the second bay to a third bay of the base with the trolley during (h), wherein the third bay is laterally adjacent to the second bay;
(j) moving the second control pod from the first bay to the second bay with the trolley during (h);
(k) moving the second control pod from the second bay to the bop stack after (i) and (j);
(l) raising the base and the housing to the surface after (k).
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This application is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 national stage application of PCT/US2016/052111 filed Sep. 16, 2016, and entitled “Subsea Control Pod Deployment and Retrieval Systems and Methods,” which claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/237,769 filed Oct. 6, 2015, and entitled “Subsea Control Pod Deployment and Retrieval Systems and Methods,” and also claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/219,468 filed Sep. 16, 2015, and entitled “Subsea Control Pod Deployment and Retrieval Systems and Methods,” each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Not applicable.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to systems and methods for deploying and retrieving subsea control pods. More particularly, embodiments described herein relate generally to systems and methods for deploying and retrieving subsea blowout preventer (BOP) and lower marine riser package (LMRP) control pods in deepwater environments exceeding 5,000 feet and generally independent of subsea remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
Subsea wells are typically made up by installing a primary conductor into the seabed and securing a wellhead secured to the upper end of the primary conductor at the sea floor. In addition, a subsea stack, also referred to as a blowout preventer (BOP) stack, is installed on the wellhead. The stack usually includes a blowout preventer mounted to the upper end of the wellhead and a lower marine riser package (LMRP) mounted to the upper end of the BOP. The primary conductor, wellhead, BOP, and LMRP are typically installed in a vertical arrangement one-above-the-other. The lower end of a riser extending subsea from a surface vessel or rig is coupled to a flex joint at the top of the LMRP. For drilling operations, a drill string is suspended from the surface vessel or rig through the riser, LMRP, BOP, wellhead, and primary conductor to drill a borehole. During drilling, casing strings that line the borehole are successively installed and cemented in place to ensure borehole integrity.
A subsea control system is used to operate and monitor the BOP stack as well as monitor wellbore conditions. For example, the control system can actuate valves (e.g., safety valves, flow control choke valves, shut-off valves, diverter valves, etc.), actuate chemical injection systems, monitor operation of the BOP and LMRP, monitor downhole pressure, temperature and flow rates, etc. The subsea control system typically comprises control modules or pods removably mounted to the BOP and LMRP. Redundant control pods are typically provided on each BOP and LMRP to enable operation and monitoring functions in the event one of the redundant control pods fails. Control pods mounted to the LMRP are often referred to as “primary” pods, whereas control pods mounted to the BOP are often referred to as “secondary” or “backup” pods. Electrical power, hydraulic power, and command signals are provided to the control pods from the surface vessel or rig. The control pods utilize the electrical and hydraulic power to operate and monitor the BOP stack as well as monitor the wellbore conditions in accordance with the command signals.
In the event of a control pod component failure, it may be desirable to retrieve the control pod to the surface to be repaired or replaced, and then deploy the repaired control pod or a replacement control pod subsea to effectively replace the faulty control pod. Traditionally, there are limited options for doing so, and further, some of the options are only applicable in shallow water environments or require the retrieval of the entire LMRP.
Embodiments of devices for retrieving control pods from a subsea BOP stack and/or deploying control pods to a subsea BOP stack are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the device comprises a base having a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end axially opposite the first end. The base includes a plurality of axially adjacent bays positioned side-by-side between the first end and the second end. Each bay is sized to hold one control pod. In addition, the device comprises a trolley moveably coupled to the base. The trolley includes a first stall and a second stall axially adjacent the first stall. Each stall is configured to hold one control pod. Further, the device comprises a housing fixably coupled to the base. Still further, the device comprises a control pod actuation assembly coupled to the housing. The control pod actuation assembly is configured to move the trolley axially relative to the base and the housing to align each stall of the trolley with at least one bay of the base. The control pod actuation assembly includes a linear actuator configured to extend and retract through one bay of the base.
Embodiments of methods for replacing a first control pod of a BOP stack are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method comprises (a) loading a second control pod onto a base of a control pod exchange device. The control pod exchange device includes the base, a housing fixably coupled to the base, and a connector assembly releasably coupled to the housing. In addition, the method comprises (b) lowering the control pod exchange device subsea after (a). Further, the method comprises (c) coupling a BOP stack interface member to the BOP stack after (b). A flexible cable has a first end coupled to the housing and a second end coupled to the BOP stack interface member. Still further, the method comprises (d) decoupling the connector assembly from the housing after (c). The method also comprises (e) lowering the base and the housing relative to the connector assembly after (d).
Embodiments described herein comprise a combination of features and advantages intended to address various shortcomings associated with certain prior devices, systems, and methods. The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. The various characteristics described above, as well as other features, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, and by referring to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
For a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
The following discussion is directed to various exemplary embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have broad application, and that the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not function. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in interest of clarity and conciseness.
In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices, components, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a central axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to the central axis. For instance, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to the central axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the central axis.
As previously described, a failing subsea control pod can be retrieved to the surface and replaced with a properly functioning control pod. In shallow water offshore operations (i.e., at water depths up to about 6,000 ft.), guidelines or wires extending vertically from the surface vessel or rig to the subsea template or wellhead are used to guide and land the BOP and LMRP onto the wellhead for the initial assembly of the BOP stack. The guidelines generally remain in place after building up the BOP stack, and thus, are generally considered to be permanently installed. Such guidelines can be used to guide and run control pods to and from the BOP stack. However, this technique is typically limited to shallow water operations (guidelines are usually only installed and available for use in shallow water operations), and further, this technique usually cannot be used to retrieve and deploy control pods mounted to the lower portion of the BOP stack (e.g., control pods mounted to the BOP) because LMRP at the upper end of the BOP stack does not provide sufficient clearance around the guidewires to enable the direct vertical movement of control pods along the guidelines to and from the portions of the BOP stack below the LMRP. Thus, control pods mounted to the lower portion of the BOP stack usually cannot utilize guidelines for retrieval and deployment because the guidelines extend vertically, whereas the control pods must be moved laterally away from the BOP stack before being moved vertically upward to the surface. In deep water offshore operations (i.e., at water depths greater than 6,000 ft.), guidelines are typically not available. In some cases, subsea remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) may be used to facilitate the retrieval, deployment, and installation of subsea control pods. However, operation of subsea ROVs can be negatively impacted by a variety of factors including, without limitation, subsea currents, limitations on visibility, payload limits, thrust capacity and accuracy, and ROV pilot skill and experience. For example, modern control pods are often substantially heavier than shallow water guideline retrievable control pods (e.g., 40,000 lbs. versus 2,000 lbs). Consequently, retrieving, deploying, and installing control pods via subsea ROVs may not be desirable or a viable option. Thus, embodiments of systems and devices described herein enable the retrieval, deployment, and installation of subsea control pods on any part of the BOP stack (e.g., the BOP, LMRP, upper part of the BOP stack, lower part of the BOP stack, etc.) without the use of conventional guidelines and with limited or no reliance on subsea ROVs. Although embodiments described herein reduce and/or eliminate reliance on subsea ROVs to physically manipulate and move the control pods, it should be appreciated that one or more subsea ROVs can be used to visually monitor and verify the subsea retrieval, deployment, and installation of the control pods. Moreover, although this disclosure generally describes the retrieval and replacement of faulty subsea control pods (i.e., with a different control pod), it should be appreciated embodiments described herein can also be used to retrieve a faulty control pod to the surface, rapidly repair of the faulty control pod at the surface, and then deploy the repaired control pod subsea for subsequent installation on the BOP stack.
Referring now to
Riser 16 is a large-diameter pipe that connects LMRP 15 to floating platform 20. During drilling operations, riser 16 takes mud returns to platform 20. A primary conductor 18 extends from wellhead 12 into the subterranean wellbore 19.
BOP 14, LMRP 15, wellhead 12, and conductor 18 are arranged such that each shares a common central axis 25. In other words, BOP 14, LMRP 15, wellhead 12, and conductor 18 are coaxially aligned. In addition, BOP 14, LMRP 15, wellhead 12, and conductor 18 are vertically stacked one-above-the-other, and the position of platform 20 is controlled such that axis 25 is vertically or substantially vertically oriented. In general, platform 20 can be maintained in position over stack 11 with mooring lines and/or a dynamic positioning (DP) system. However, it should be appreciated that platform 20 moves to a limited degree during normal drilling and/or production operations in response to external loads such as wind, waves, currents, etc. Such movements of platform 20 result in the upper end of riser 16, which is secured to platform 20, moving relative to the lower end of riser 16, which is secured to LMRP 15. Wellhead 12, BOP 14 and LMRP 15 are generally fixed in position at the sea floor 13, and thus, riser 16 may flex and pivot about its lower and upper ends as platform 20 moves at the surface 17. Consequently, although riser 16 is shown as extending vertically from platform 20 to LMRP 15 in
Referring still to
As will be described in more detail below, embodiments described and illustrated herein are directed to systems and methods for retrieving a failed or faulty control pod (e.g., control pod 30 or control pod 31), and replacing it with a replacement control pod (e.g., control pod 30 or control pod 31). Although embodiments described herein specifically show and described replacing a control pod 30 mounted to LMRP 15, it is to be understood that embodiments described herein can also be used in the manners described to replace a control pod 31 mounted to BOP 14. For purposes of clarity and further explanation (e.g., to aid in distinguishing failed or faulty pod 30 from replacement pod 30), in embodiments described herein, the failed or faulty pod 30 is labeled with reference numeral 30′ and the replacement pod 30 is labeled with reference numeral 30″. In general, the replacement pod 30″ can be a new pod 30 or a repaired pod 30.
Referring now to
In this embodiment, base 110 is a rectangular frame having a central or longitudinal axis 115, a first end 110a, a second end 110b axially opposite end 110a, a front rail 111 extending axially between ends 110a, 110b, and a rear rail 112 extending axially between ends 110a, 110b. Rails 111, 112 are parallel, each being generally horizontally oriented. The inner surface of each rail 111, 112 (i.e., the opposed faces of rails 111, 112) includes an elongate guide slot or recess 113, 114, respectively, that extends axially between ends 110a, 110b. A plurality of cross-members 116 are disposed along the bottom of base 110 and extend between rails 111, 112. Cross-members 116 provide structural integrity to base 110.
As best shown in
Referring again to
As described above, trolley 120 is positioned within base 110 and can move axially relative to base 110 and housing 140. Trolley 120 has a central axis oriented parallel to axis 115 in top view and ends 120a, 120b. In addition, trolley 120 includes a pair of elongate, parallel side rails 122, 123 extending axially between ends 120a, 120b and a plurality of axially-spaced vertical walls or dividers 124a, 124b, 124c extending between rails 122, 123. Dividers 124a, 124b, 124c are oriented perpendicular to rails 122, 123, and extend vertically upward from rails 122, 123. In addition, dividers 124 are fixably attached to rails 122, 123 such that dividers 124 move with rails 122, 124. In this embodiment, dividers 124a, 124b, 124c are uniformly axially-spaced with divider 124a disposed at end 120a, divider 124c disposed at end 120b, and divider 124b disposed in the middle of trolley 120 equidistant from ends 120a, 120b. The axial distance measured between each pair of axially adjacent dividers 124a, 124b, 124c (i.e., the axial distance between dividers 124a, 124b and the axial distance between dividers 124b, 124c) is about equal to or slightly greater than the width of one pod 30′,30″. Consequently, trolley 120 may be described as defining two receptacles or stalls 126a, 126b within trolley 120 that are positioned axially side-by-side between ends 120a, 120b for holding or accommodating one control pod 30′,30″—stall 126a is positioned between dividers 124a, 124b and stall 126b is positioned between dividers 124b, 124c. The opposed vertical faces or surfaces of dividers 124a, 124b, 124c include elongate slots or recesses 127 disposed above base 110. Recesses 127 are sized and positioned to receive mating profiles on the outer lateral sides of pods 30′,30″, thereby allowing pods 30′,30″ to slide into and out of each stall 126a, 126b.
Rails 122, 123 slidingly engages rails 111, 112, respectively, thereby allowing trolley 120 to move axially within base 110 between ends 110a, 110b. In this embodiment, each rail 122, 123 includes extension(s) or wheel(s) that are seated in guide slots 113, 114, respectively, of the corresponding rail 111, 112, thereby allowing trolley 120 to slide axially back and forth between ends 110a, 110b of base 110.
Referring still to
In this embodiment, the motor of actuation assembly 130 includes an output gear that engages a mating toothed rack provided on rail 113, and thus, by rotating the gear in a first direction, the motor moves trolley 120 away from end 110a and toward end 110b, and by rotating the gear in a second direction opposite the first direction, the motor moves trolley 120 away from end 110b and toward end 110a. Thus, actuation assembly 130 can controllably move trolley 120 relative to base 110 to align stall 126a or stall 126b with middle bay 117b. As shown in
In this embodiment, actuator 131 can extend and retract in a direction perpendicular to axis 115 in top view. Since actuation assembly 130 is aligned with middle bay 117b, actuator 131 extends into and retracts out of middle bay 117b. Accordingly, actuator 131 may be described as having an extended position and a retracted position—in the extended position, actuator 131 extends into and through middle bay 117b; and in the retracted position, actuator 131 is withdrawn from middle bay 117b. A pod interface assembly 132 is coupled to the free end of actuator 131 that extends through middle bay 117b. Interface assembly 132 releasably engages and grips pods 30′,30″ during installation into and retrieval from BOP stack 11. More specifically, to remove pod 30″ from BOP stack 11, device 100 is properly aligned with BOP stack 11 and one empty stall 126a, 126b (i.e., a stall 126a, 126b with no pod 30 disposed therein) is aligned with middle bay 117b, actuator 131 is extended through middle bay 117b to pod 30″, interface assembly 132 positively engages pod 30″, and then actuator 131 retracts to pull pod 30″ from BOP stack 11 into middle bay 117b and stall 126a, 126b aligned therewith; and to install pod 30′ in BOP stack 11 following the removal of pod 30″, device 100 is properly aligned with BOP stack 11 and the stall 126a, 126b carrying pod 30′ is aligned with middle bay 117b, interface assembly 132 positively engages pod 30′ and actuator 131 is extended through middle bay 117b to push pod 30′ into BOP stack 11.
Referring still to
Housing 140 also includes a winch 143 rotatably disposed between sidewalls 142, a pair of laterally spaced sheaves 144 rotatably coupled to sidewalls 142, and a pair of tubular guides 146 fixably attached to sidewalls 142. Winch 143 is rotatably coupled to sidewalls between frame 141 and upper end 140a. One sheave 144 is coupled to each sidewall 142 at upper end 140a. In particular, each sheave 144 is positioned along the front edge of each sidewall 142. Sheaves 144 rotate about a common horizontal axis oriented parallel to axis 115, and winch 143 rotates about a horizontal axis oriented parallel to axis 115.
One tubular guide 146 is coupled to the front edge of each sidewall 142 just below a corresponding sheave 144. Each tubular guide 146 is oriented at an acute angle measured upward from central axis 145 in side view and includes a funnel 147 at its lower end. As will be described in more detail below, funnels 147 slidingly receive BOP stack interface members 180 releasably coupled to BOP stack 11 to align device 100 with BOP stack 11 such that middle bay 117b is aligned with and opposed pod 30′. In this embodiment, each interface member 180 is a spear, and thus, each may also be referred to herein as a spear 180.
Referring still to
In this embodiment, connector assembly 170 is releasably coupled to housing 140 with a pair of connectors 175. As best shown in
As best shown in
A through passage extends through each connector 175 and has a central axis oriented tangent to the corresponding sheaves 144, 173. As will be described in more detail below, two flexible wirelines or cables 190 (shown with dashed lines in
Referring now to
Referring now to
In this embodiment, system 200 includes lifting device 22 mounted to surface vessel 20, rigging 50 coupled to lifting device 22, and control pod exchange device 100. In this embodiment, rigging 50 is rope that extends from lifting device 22 and can be paid in or paid out from lifting device 22 to raise or lower loads. As used herein, the term “rope” may be used to refer to any flexible type of rope including, without limitation, wire rope, cable, synthetic rope, or the like. Using lifting device 22 and rigging 50, control pod exchange device 100 delivers replacement pod 30″ to BOP stack 11, automates the exchange of pods 30′,30″ (i.e., removes pod 30′ from stack 11 and installs pod 30″ in stack 11), and delivers pod 30′ to the surface 17. Spears 180, guides 146, and cables 190 facilitate the alignment of device 100 relative to BOP stack 11, the coupling of device 100 to BOP stack 11 such that pods 30′,30″ can be exchanged, and the movement of device 100 to and away from BOP stack 11.
In this embodiment, one or more subsea remotely operated vehicles 40 are used, to varying degrees, to assist in the retrieval of pod 30′ and deployment of pod 30″. Each ROV 40 includes an arm 41 having a claw 42, a subsea camera 43 for viewing the subsea operations (e.g., the relative positions of LMRP 15, BOP 14, pods 30, 31, the positions and movement of arm 41 and claw 42, etc.), and an umbilical 44. Streaming video and/or images from cameras 43 are communicated to the surface or other remote location via umbilical 44 for viewing on a continuous live basis. Arms 41 and claws 42 are controlled via commands sent from the surface through umbilical 44.
Moving now to
Referring now to
Referring briefly to
Moving now to
As shown in
The detailed steps for exchanging pods 30′,30″ after housing 140 is coupled to BOP stack 11 is schematically shown in
Referring now to
Moving now to
After coupling housing 140 and connector assembly 170, the weight of device 100 is supported by cable 50 while lifting device 22 is operated to pay out cable 50, thereby removing any tension in cables 190. Next, ROV 40 decouples spears 180 from BOP stack 11 as shown in
In the manner described and shown in
Referring now to
System 300 is similar to system 200 previously described with the exception that system 300 relies on a derrick 21′ mounted to surface vessel 20 and pipe string 150 (e.g., a drill string) suspended from derrick 21′ instead of lifting device 22 and rigging 50 to deploy and retrieve control pod exchange device 100. Thus, in this embodiment of system 300, using offset derrick 21′ and pipe string 150, control pod exchange device 100 delivers replacement pod 30″ to BOP stack 11, automates the exchange of pods 30′,30″ (i.e., removes pod 30′ from stack 11 and installs pod 30″ in stack 11), and delivers pod 30′ to the surface 17. Spears 180, guides 146, and cables 190 facilitate the alignment of device 100 relative to BOP stack 11, the coupling of device 100 to BOP stack 11 such that pods 30′,30″ can be exchanged, and the movement of device 100 to and away from BOP stack 11. In this embodiment, one or more subsea remotely operated vehicles 40 as previously described are used, to varying degrees, to assist in the retrieval of pod 30′ and deployment of pod 30″.
Referring first to
Moving now to
Referring now to
Moving now to
As shown in
Referring now to
Moving now to
After coupling housing 140 and connector assembly 170, the weight of device 100 is supported by pipe string 150 while derrick 21′ is operated to lift pipe string 150, thereby removing any tension in cables 190. Next, ROV 40 decouples spears 180 from BOP stack 11 as shown in
In the manner described and shown in
While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or teachings herein. The embodiments described herein are exemplary only and are not limiting. Many variations and modifications of the systems, apparatus, and processes described herein are possible and are within the scope of the invention. For example, the relative dimensions of various parts, the materials from which the various parts are made, and other parameters can be varied. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but is only limited by the claims that follow, the scope of which shall include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the steps in a method claim may be performed in any order. The recitation of identifiers such as (a), (b), (c) or (1), (2), (3) before steps in a method claim are not intended to and do not specify a particular order to the steps, but rather are used to simplify subsequent reference to such steps.
Springett, Frank Benjamin, Miller, Travis James, Cowan, Richard Watson, Belote, Alex Michael
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